Downtown New Orleans is the area of New Orleans west of the French Quarter. It is roughly bounded by Poydras Street to the west and Canal Street to the right. Canal Street signified the boundary between the French Quarter and the American Quarter, which is what the central business district was called in the past. The middle of Canal Street was the neutral ground, which neither side claimed, and the term "neutral ground" for the median of a street was born from this boundary of cultures in New Orleans.

The United Fruit Company Building on St. Charles Avenue, built in 1920.

Place St. Charles at the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and Common Street. Place St. Charles is New Orleans' second tallest building at 645 feet.

Factors Row on St. Charles Avenue, with a streetcar coming up the street.

A row of buildings on Carondelet Street near Union Street. Carondelet Street was named after the last Spanish colonial governor.

The Hibernia Bank Building, built in 1925, has been a landmark in New Orleans' business district for decades. For a time, it was the tallest building in New Orleans. The building is on Carondelet Street between Gravier and Union Streets. On the right is the top of the National American Bank Building, built in 1929 and standing at 330 feet tall.

One Shell Square, New Orleans' tallest building at 697 feet, was built in 1972. It is located at St. Charles Avenue & Perdido Street, near Poydras Street.

The Whitney Bank Building on Poydras Street at Camp Street. The building has been the home of a few restaurants in recent years.

Buildings on Camp Street. The Queen & Crescent Hotel is in the middle of the picture.

An old building incorporated in the Harrah's Casino hotel building on Poydras Street.

Looking west down Magazine Street.

Old restaurants and buildings on St. Charles Avenue.

Place St. Charles, at the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Common Street. Place St. Charles was built in 1984 and is 645 feet tall.

The Whitney Building, on Common Street. Whitney National Bank was the only New Orleans financial institution to survive the Great Depression intact.

Buildings on Camp Street.

The Masonic Building, at 333 St. Charles Avenue, built in 1926.

Looking up Commerce Place at the Masonic Building, located on the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Perdido Street.

The Hibernia Bank Building.

The Grunewald Hotel building, on Baronne Street. The structure was built in the 1930's as a second tower to the first structure on University Place.

Buildings on Baronne Street at Union Street. First Bank & Trust Tower is in the background.

Le Pavillon Hotel, at the corner of Poydras & Baronne Streeets. The structure was built in 1906 as the Denechaud Hotel.

An old house at the corner of Poydras & O'Keefe Streets.

Skyscrapers on Poydras Street near La Salle Street.

The Louisiana Superdome, built in 1975 to house the New Orleans Saints. The Superdome was the largest dome in the world when completed, and is currently the largest fixed dome in the world.

Buildings on Poydras Street at Robertson Street.

The Hibernia Bank Building, with Place St. Charles in the background. The top of the National American Bank Building can be seen on the left.

The dome of Hibernia National Bank's building, with warehouses in the foreground.

Buildings on Camp Street at Gravier Street.

Buildings on Camp Street.

Buildings on Natchez Street.

Businesses and hotels on Canal Street.

Buildings on Canal Street near Baronne Street. The Walgreen's, dating back to 1938 and one of New Orleans' only Art Deco buildings, is on the corner of Canal & Baronne Streets.

Businesses on Canal Street.

Buildings on Canal Street at Chartres Street.

Buildings on Canal Street at Camp Street.

The Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel and other businesses on Canal Street.

The U.S. Custom House on Canal Street at Peters Street. The Custom House was completed in 1881 after 32 years of construction.

Harrah's Casino from Canal & Peters Street.

Harrah's Casino from Convention Center Boulevard. The casino was opened in 1999 and was built on the site of the Rivergate Convention Center, which was built in 1968 and made obsolete by a bigger convention center built for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition.

A steamboat docked at Riverfront Park.

Looking across the Mississippi River at Algiers Point, the point at which the river makes a sharp bend southward.

The Canal Street Ferry crossing the Mississippi towards the neighborhood of Algiers.

Looking across the Mississippi from Riverfront Park at the Algiers neighborhood.

Looking downriver from Riverfront Park at the French Quarter.

The Natchez riverboat, with the neighborhood of Algiers in the background, on the other side of the Mississippi River.

The Natchez steamboat, with the bridges carrying the Crescent City Connection in the background.

A ship gets ready to round Algiers Point as it heads up the Mississippi River.

Looking across the Mississippi River at Mardi Gras World in Algiers, which is where many Mardi Gras parade floats are stored.

A ship rounds Algiers Point as it heads upriver.

The steamboat Natchez, with the Pontchartrain Expressway in the background.

Barge traffic on the Mississippi.

Looking downriver from Riverfront Park at the neighborhoods of the French Quarter and Marigny.

Boat traffic, with Algiers in the background.

The Warehouse District is an area near Downtown that is known for its warehouses and loft buildings. The neighborhood went into decline beginning in the 1920's, but was refurbished in the 1980's when the Louisiana World's Fair was hosted in 1984. The Warehouse District is now known mainly for its arts scene.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, located on Camp Street. The court building used to be the city's main post office.

Gallier Hall, built in 1845, is located on St. Charles Avenue, across the street from Lafayette Square. The building served as city hall for more than a century.

Buildings on St. Charles Avenue.

A statue of Henry Clay, located in the middle of Lafayette Square. The statue was moved to Lafayette Square from the middle of Canal Street in 1901.

I always wondered what was so great about new orleans (not counting the french quarter) because from aerials, the downtown doesn't look that special; But at street level, Wow, downtown looks amazing. Great architecture and it looks like the density is good too.

Impressive photos, I want to visit New Orleans one day. Although I wasn't expecting to see so many palm trees in this city.

One thing I don't understand about this city is why is it that it has such a high crime, and many of its residents are so poor. It seems there is always something going to to bring in the tourists. That industry in itself should be bringing in the dollars, and like Vegas should trickle down to its residents (workers) in that industry.

Also among some friends of mine who used to work for Amtrak, New Orleans was the #1 route all of its employees bid for. It was the city most enjoyed on their layover. Yeah it was not Chicago, LA, or NYC, but New Orleans they all fought for.